No Right Answer: Greatest Console Blunder Ever

[gamegod25]

I'll admit that the Wii U pad isn't so great. But I still think that the biggest blunder was with the XBone. I mean, look back a year. M$ starts saying all the new stuff that no one likes, progressively adding more unpleasant things. Meanwhile, Sony say almost nothing. (There's a handful of pre E3 stuff, but mostly rumors.) Then, E3 2013 happens. Microsoft announces it's price. Afterwards, Sony says "Btw, you can share your games, you don't need peripherals, you can turn it off whenever." M$ bosses are a bit nervous, but they think, "nah, it's fine, PS3 was more expensive on release, we're fine." Then comes the price tag...
"399$"

PANIC MODE ENGAGED
M$ flops around, saying 'nah, it's fine, you don't need those bad things.', which made them look like huge liars.

And even then it took pretty much everyone in the world being outraged and flipping them off for weeks before they finally started to give in. MS really thought they could just ride out the backlash and be okay. That's why while I'm kinda glad they finally did change I know it's not because they really care or even really listened...the change was literally forced upon them or else they would have died right out of the starting gate. Even now it may be too little too late to catch up the PS4 or mend their rep with gamers.

MS was riding high on the 360, thought they were invincible and flew too close to the sun, and now all the arm flapping in the world isn't going to stop them from becoming a smear on the rocks below.

 

[SonofSpermcube]

We have to integrate Internet Explorer into the OS, there is no separating the two, they are a part of each other.

 

[gorfias]

Except the Dreamcast is pretty much the only system ever made to release with great games. It failed because no one cared about SEGA by that point and waited for the PS2, which went on to be the greatest console ever made.

Dreamcast less bungled than Sony was brilliant. They depressed Dreamcast sales with promises and when the PS2 actually did come out, it's ability to double as a DVD player really helped sell the system. And it was backward compatible. Dreamcast could say, "at least we're cheaper!" but then Gamecube was coming and it was cheaper too. And more powerful. They did the best they could under the circumstances.

But this:


It brought the entire industry to its knees. Bad game bundle, games that were warmed over versions of games already owned, too little quality control so that you could find yourself spending big bucks on broken dross.

True, other systems at the time failed to ignite and save the industry from crash, but I think, done right, this had the best chance of saving the industry. But. Fail.

That gets my vote for most bungled console ever.

 

[FPLOON]

Would Dan have been pleased with the Wii U if it was actually named the "Wii 2"?

OT: Yeah... Even I can find more things wrong with the Xbox One than I can with the Wii U... and their names were never something that crossed my mind as an actual negative to them in general...

 

[varmintx]

I was expecting 3DO vs. Jaguar.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I might buy a WiiU, because you can use the tablet exclusively. Just like my 3dsXL I guess.

I don't get it? Using 3DS as an example as to why touch screens with the controls improve the game is madness. There has never been a game on the 3DS that didn't have crippling bad controls, except for ones that ignored the touch screen or used the attachment second stick that really should come with the 3DS.

I for one like the touchscreen controls, although the hardware buttons are better, I still like them. I was using the 3DS as an example of a handheld console that works really well, if the WiiU tablet is just as good, it'll be worth it.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

Both consoles have more than there fair share of troubles, but surely if we're talking about the biggest blunder ever, then the Virtual Boy wins by a mile.

A-frekin'-men!

I'm actually not surprised the One won this one. Microsoft has pretty much been tripping all over themselves in regards to it ever since announcing it. While Sunset Overdrive and Ori do look interesting, sadly Microsoft didn't really give me any confidence that all the backtracking they did on the One is worth it. Heck...the fact they announced a game with Conker in it where Conker apparently has just as important a role than Spyro does in Skylanders tells me something.

WiiU managed to shine quite brightly at E3. Granted, the lack of third party games was still a major elephant in the room, but a lot of the titles announced look very impressive (aforementioned Splatoon being one) and shows they're not out of this yet.

CAPTCHA: go gadget go

Rather appropo...somewhat...but now I have the good Inspector's voice in my head.

 

[C.S.Strowbridge]

The Wii U is a blunder? Really?

calling it the "Wii U" and focusing on the controller more than the actual console was the blunder. they made everyone think it was just another peripheral for the Wii.

Nintendo overestimated their main consumer base for the Wii, which consists of people who dont actually follow gaming. if they had called it something else entirely, or at least called it the "Wii 2", the console would have sold a lot better.

i hope they learned their lesson.

I agree those were mistakes, but not big enough mistakes to call it a blunder. They confused potential customers.

On the other hand, X-Box One's blunders made potential customers angry.

 

[Darth_Payn]

I think I'd have to go with something like the Sega Saturn. Neither the XBO nor the Wii-U have managed to help crash their parent company (at least, not yet.) The history of the Saturn reads like a greatest hits of the mistakes of the PS3 and Wii-U combined- no games, poor timing, difficult hardware...

I'm still hoping the Wii-U can make a go of it. Sounds like they had a good showing at E3, at least.

Yeah I'd agree with a company-destroying mistake like the Saturn. The Mega-CD has to rank up there as well. The tragedy is that both of them had some fantastic games - anybody played "Eternal Champions CD" recently?

And I won't be the fifth or sixth person to mention the Virtual Boy. (Oh wait... crap.)

Wait, the Saturn? SEGA's last console was the Dreamcast, and that one undersold so hard, SEGA dropped out of hardware production entirely. Too bad, I liked that one.

 

[Verlander]

The Wii took Gamecube controllers. Jus' sayin'

 

[red255]

oh I get it now, you are always omitting obvious choices because you were literally born yesterday.

I mean 'greatest console blunders' First thing that came to mind was the Dreamcast, which managed to kill off Sega as a console maker.

and maybe the Neo Geo.

and then you complain about 'the industry' and in your other videos on this board (the escapist) you are constantly f*** the industry for triple A producers like EA, and Activision and ... Ubisoft.

So unless you can come up with some story that shows some good company losing money on a deal like this and being forced to sell out to EA/Activision etc and BECOME them because of this I'm not seeing it as all that bad to hurt the industry. I mean isn't that your goal?

Just trying for a modicum of consistancy here. But if Microsoft Screwed EA, and a bunch of little guys EA had a contract and they will collect for breach of contract, making it easy for the little guys to also collect.

EA may be evil but they'll get their money.

Finally you got this whole thing with them saying 'but we have numbers' and you saying I don't like your numbers. you don't even have numbers of your own.

and yes people don't want the kinect, but people probably WOULD want one if it wasn't an unresponsive piece of garbage.

nobody wants to play a game where you are in a race and you want to climb but the damn thing won't read your motion as what its supposed to. But its not a problem with the Kinect in PRINCIPAL. Its just that it doesn't work very well.

Their numbers were probably like 'if the kinect worked would you want one' and their guys told them the kinect worked.

I watched a video of people setting up kinect sports rivals and lets playing it, the kinect does not appear to work. beyond what you'd expect from some independant developer, its not at the level of mainstream gaming at least.

But their numbers ARE right. its just the Kinect they were asking if you wanted is not the kinect they were bundling with the system.

I'm willing to accept that nobody wants a Kinect because they took it away. and I don't want a Kinect. BUt you give the other guy the same point for the WiiU tablet because you found a picture where the person wasn't smiling.

I'm not really the person to judge which Nintendo controllers are crap or not, I dislike the DS, and Wiimotes personally, but they've been successful among their target market.

Look I don't know what to say. I shouldn't expect good things from you, because I've never gotten good things from you, but for some reason I just have this hope that you might actually make a good debate at some time in the future.

which is hard to believe when you can't even pick the top two choices for any given topic.

 

[Evil Smurf]

I might buy a WiiU, because you can use the tablet exclusively. Just like my 3dsXL I guess.

I don't get it? Using 3DS as an example as to why touch screens with the controls improve the game is madness. There has never been a game on the 3DS that didn't have crippling bad controls, except for ones that ignored the touch screen or used the attachment second stick that really should come with the 3DS.

I for one like the touchscreen controls, although the hardware buttons are better, I still like them. I was using the 3DS as an example of a handheld console that works really well, if the WiiU tablet is just as good, it'll be worth it.

Except the Vita is a better example of a handheld that works really well. The 3DS has good games, the actual device is a complete piece of shit that does nothing to improve games.

Wow bro, can you not get mad salty on me?

I don't have a Vita, and as such cannot comment on how well it works.